Home Garden & Allotment

Have more time to enjoy your garden or allotment

A lot of black plastic is used at allotments and understandably so because it's cheap and effective. However, the downsides are that it does actually break down, leaving microplastics in the soil. The plastic clear up for a large scale growing operation is also problematic. Plastic can't regulate temperature because it isn't breathable, so roots can be "cooked" when overheated.

Paper mulch is a natural choice for home and urban gardeners. It's heavyweight thickness stops weeds all season long but also allows air and water to permeate. We actually like many weeds, they can be good for the soil but when there are too many, weeds can steal essential nutrients from your plants. Paper mulch is 100% opaque while offering superior porosity to water, air, and the nutrients your plants need, meaning weeds can't grow but your plants can thrive.

Paper mulch is easy to use and visually pleasing, the earthy colours disappear into your garden, especially as most cover with top soil. It is available in a few dimensions to fit the needs of your garden or plot. We have Ecomulch which has been through the rigorous organic certification process, especially made for organic farms and pre-punched rolls, to help with planting or transplanting multiple rows. This also help develop a satisfyingly neat grid system. 

~ Save time weeding
~ Is 100% opaque: no weeds can grow but your vegetables can
~ Allows water, air and nutrients through to the soil
~ Promotes stronger, earlier plant growth
~ Helps extend your growing season
~ 100% biodegradable.

Application is simple and easy. The paper mulch gives you a great return on a little labour before the growing season begins, especially as that all important establishment phase.

Black plastic is not a nice thing to use on the soil for growing. Paper mulch is made from renewable resources, uses no petroleum and eliminates any need for herbicides. It's the perfect environmentally friendly alternative. What’s more, the porous material allows water, nutrients and air to pass through easily. 

It's satisfying to weed less and grow more, watching your garden thrive, while reducing the amount of work. We wish growing organically, without pesticides and plastics was the prefered way.

And unlike black plastic, you don’t have to remove and dispose of it at the end of the season. Paper mulch decomposes naturally over the course of the growing season, adding beneficial organic material to the soil, you can just simply leave it in the soil to do its thing. Many growers are converting to the "no dig" method and the paper works perfectly for this.

Most home gardeners and allotment folk we know use the paper mulches: Natural Paper Mulch, Geomulch and Ecomulch for growing vegetables and flowers because the paper mulches are seasonal. They are designed to completely biodegrade at the end of the growing season. 

Creating Raised Beds
If you're creating a raised bed for the first time, you can lay the paper mulch at the bottom to give good protection and a weed free foundation. If the area that you're placing your beds has very invasive weeds, the Heavyweight Cornstarch can also be used.

Creating Paths
The Heavyweight cornstarch is used more for landscaping purposes, so if you're working on creating or tidying up your allotment or garden paths, this is the stuff to use. Once covered with wood chip, you can happily walk on it. Please note, for best results it's always ideal if you can try to uproot and cut back as many weeds as possible before laying it down. Once you've got to a fresh layer of weed free soil, this mulch is more like a fabric, so can be pinned down. 

Growing Onions and alliums
Our pre-punched paper mulch saves time, whilst impressing yourself and neighbours with the neatest of rows. All ages and even the most fidgety will find this project satisfying. Roll the pre-punched paper mulch, use a dibber in the soil and plant onions or garlic cloves in one by one.

Growing Strawberries 
Strawberries respond especially well to the paper mulches, they don't like to be in contact with the soil, so the extra barrier really helps

Growing Pumpkins and Courgettes
The paper mulches are perfect for all vegetables but we began to notice that many commercial pumpkin farms choose the Lightweight Cornstarch Film to grow with. The results are satisfying, pumpkins and courgettes respond very well to this film. Unfortunately the smallest roll we provide is 200m - but hide it away from direct sunlight and moisture and because the film is not perishable, it can be stored and used for many seasons to come.

Small Gardens and beds
Our smallest roll is 1.2m x 15m of Ecomulch

See our How to Tips using Mulch Organic.